Analysis Of ' Atonement ' By Ian Mcewan Essay

Analysis Of ' Atonement ' By Ian Mcewan Essay

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The human experience is riddled with unpalatable truths that we discover as we journey through life. Influencing our values and attitudes by deliberately challenging the reader with humanity’s unpalatable truths, Ian McEwan prompts the reader to consider our own moral compass through the character of Briony Tallis. During the course of ‘Atonement’, McEwan demonstrates that actions and words inevitably have consequences on not only the individual but also those surrounding them. Throughout the three fundamental stages of Briony’s complicated life, her coming of age story has developed in the unpalatable obstacle of atoning for her mistakes. In misunderstanding, Briony appears naive; she thinks she can control aspects of her own world, acting as God and foreshadowing the ending of the novel, but the unpalatable truth is that Briony could not have atoned due to the circumstances in which she ultimately caused. Acceptance in ‘Atonement’ is represented by Briony coming to terms with what she had done in the past, searching for penance, or amends – while Cecilia Tallis could not even think to forgive her sister for what has become of her mistake on that night in 1934. In the last part of the novel titled, ‘London 1999’, while seeking impossible forgiveness, Briony is confronted with the unpalatable truths that are accompanied with atoning.

‘Atonement’ features unpalatable truths about the multifaceted human condition, which we develop an awareness of as we make mistakes and confront obstacles in life. However, atoning for the mistakes can sometimes be difficult, or impossible. Briony omitted to telling her parents the truth about what she had witnessed – though at the time, she had thought it to have been Robbie, “[he] was a threat,”...

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... no one to atone to, that she is the person who decides outcomes relating to Robbie and Cecilia. Thus, in the stages of the human condition, one finds mortality within the power of words, while others have an ultimate demise.

In conclusion, the unpalatable truths of the human condition represented in texts confront readers as they are challenged to recognise life 's obstacles. Ian McEwan reflects such truths in his novel 'Atonement ', surrounding the morals of Briony Tallis, wherein her single mistake led to immense consequences. While in the further stages of her life, the unpleasant truths that the author has made the reader aware of are found in acceptance of miss accusation, and the ramifications of war. Thus, texts prompt us to become aware of fundamental truths of our humanity that may be unpleasant, heightening our understanding of what it means to be human.

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- Whole hearted originality is that of an oxymoron, simple because, “true originality” is not something that can be created. Yet originality is something that can be imitated and stolen from. The act of stealing is what generates “true originality.” Artists and every other creatively thinking person take from one another to make something revolutionizing. Take for consideration Ian McEwan, and his novel Atonement; the novel employs what would be a revolutionizing form of literary technique for British Literature.... [tags: Fiction, Novel, Ian McEwan, Marcel Proust]

- Sibling conflict is a familiar aspect in any family dynamic. However, there are times when the siblings involved feel so strongly that they are unable to ever find common ground. Ian McEwan’s historical novel, Atonement, tells the story in the perspective of a young girl, Briony Tallis, that delves into the ruined relationship between her and her older sister, Cecilia, after Briony tells a life-changing lie. McEwan provides a realistic example of the short and long term psychological, emotional, and physical effects that a sibling rivalry can prompt.... [tags: Sibling, Birth order, Sibling rivalry, Family]

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- The beauty of life lies in its balance between success, happiness, misfortune, and one’s ability to rise from failures. Life naturally generates enjoyable, significant moments in which we tend to embrace and treasure. It is often desirable and convenient, however, to avoid facing the hardships brought upon us in life because accepting or persevering through such challenges can mark change and rude awakenings. In particular, the transition into adulthood often involves traumatic or distressing experiences similar to the ones that the protagonists Robbie Turner and Briony Tallis face in Atonement.... [tags: Psychological trauma, Abuse, Bullying]

- The role of Narration in Ian McEwan’s Atonement Much of Atonement is written in third person limited omniscient narration. Although the narrative voice is consistent throughout the first two sections of the novel, the focalization of this narration shifts between the characters and the reader is provided with varying perspectives of the story world. The effect of this is that the reader is guided through the text by a homogeneous voice, but we are able to better grasp the differing frames of reference through which each character experiences the plot, this is essential to McEwan’s exploration of versions of reality.... [tags: Narrator, Narrative, Novel]

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